Things changed a bit. On June 27, 2009, my wife gave birth to my first child. This last week has been an amazing experience. So, on Independence Day, I am celebrating the sweetest, most beautiful little dependent on earth. The details: Athen Emmet Aloma: 7 pounds, 4 ounces and 20 inches long at 5:31 AM on June 27, 2009 The recap: Birth went smoothly from begin to end (especially for me). While my wife, Courtney, felt a bit queezy the day of, we thought it was just a case of false labor and (sort of) expected nothing to happen. It was around 10:30pm, after a quick nap, that she began feeling strong...

She says she is most comfortable when she lays on him Sliding her nose under his jawbone Eyes pressing against his cheek Curling like loose ribbon in his lap Her fingers from her left hand dripping down from his shoulders Her right arm like a kitten curling between them His midsection and demeanor are imperfect and soft He falls apart beneath her With her For her His chest caves to consume her Arms thrown across her back and tied like a sweater for warmth His head rocks back He can barely breathe but love does that They are a bundle of dirty laundry on the chair Worn for the day and loosely tossed...

We are strangers on the train, you and I. It is early morning or after work. You had comfortably found a seat with no one next to you. The doors open and I push in with a small crowd. There are empty seats everywhere but I sit next to you. We don’t speak, you and I. We glance for a moment; Awkwardly arrange ourselves in a silent dance to minimize how much we touch. Our hips and thighs unavoidably connect but certainly not our shoulders. Our minds, of course, are wrestling with each other. You lean forward slightly into your words, sentences, yourself. You cock a bit catty-corner in the chair. Bring...

She’s shaped like words of poetry I suppose she isn’t really posing over the tub Tipping in a toe as gently as she would an ink well But she looks picturesque to me A thousand words twice if I could write them The nape of her neck swings down like a lazy “ƒ” Hips crossed low and unlevel Dragging the other leg in To simmer away a day that bullied her to turn on the tub in the first place Scalding hot as if to teach it a lesson With a worn romance novel that I wish I’d written Because she’s read it multiple times by now I’m sure She sits back into the warm water like a hug Until it’s...

This morning walking the dog, I was inspired by the rising sun to write the following. Enjoy. 1. The Chicago sun woke. Like a tarnished crown it crept slowly past the concrete curtain. “This is it’s walk of shame,” I thought, “for a promiscuous night among the stars blanketed in the darkest sins.” But it repented to the sky and the clouds skulked from its glory. At high noon I had the revelation, “This is the halo of humanity singing across the heavens and we are pleased.” 2. My sun stirs in her womb. It’s heart rises and rests below hers. I no longer...

I ran up the John Hancock today. 94 floors total. It was tiring, but fun. It was definitely a lot easier than a half-marathon. I took a few videos on my way up. I’ve posted it below. Enjoy! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSnxt2f6xNE]

I’m a work-aholic. It’s true. I can’t deny it. But after briefly reading Tribes by Seth Godin, I found the words to explain why I’m OK with it: How Was Your Day? It’s four a.m. and I can’t sleep. So I’m sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Jamaica, checking my e-mail. A couple walks by, obviously on their way to bed, having pushed the idea of vacation a little too hard. The woman looks over to me and, in a harsh whisper a littler quieter than a yell, says to her friend, “Isn’t hat sad? That guy comes here on vacation and he’s stuck checking...

The schizophrenic nature of our identities is resolving itself. You are no longer one thing in the chatroom, on Myspace or the blogosphere and another in the board room, bedroom or classroom. After years of painful fragmentation, your identity decided to rebel and it got a bit of help from the Internet. It’s true. The old hay-days of the Internet are long gone. Remember when we used to troll discussion boards and even erotic interactions all under the guise of an assumed identity? Don’t lie. You did it, too. How many user IDs have you seen along the lines of SquishyChic125, GoodwithTools05,...

Something happened today but I’m not exactly sure what it was. True, we swore Barack H. Obama into office as the 44th President of the United States of America. I watched it at work with my colleagues. The swearing-in, which took only a couple minutes, brought most of us out of our seats to watch intently – standing in solidarity, albeit distantly, with the millions on the mall. After President Obama solemnly swore, many of us went back to our laptops and watched peripherally as if at home on the couch sitting next to our significant others. I listened closely to President Obama’s...

Two years ago, my wife and I followed the market and purchased a condo. Today, we regret the decision and reflect on our mistakes. The lessons we learned are certainly helpful but also expensive. As young, first-time buyers, we perhaps depended too much on the on “experts” in the industry – particularly, our Realtor and mortgage broker. We feel somewhat duped. The market at that time was amazing. Everyone not in the know, and a lot of people who claimed to be in the know, agreed and thought you couldn’t lose by buying. As a newly married couple, perhaps we thought this new...